Conte on Chelsea's shock loss: 'We kept losing our heads'

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte blamed a loss of composure after the Premier League champions were shocked 3-2 by Burnley in their opening game of the new season on Saturday.

After Chelsea’s new captain Gary Cahill was shown a straight red card in the 14th minute at Stamford Bridge, a Sam Vokes brace and a Stephen Ward rocket saw Burnley go 3-0 up before half-time.

Goals from substitute Alvaro Morata and David Luiz brought Chelsea back into the game, but Cesc Fabregas’s dismissal for two bookable offences meant Conte’s men finished the game with nine men.

“We tried until the end to reach a good result against Burnley. It was a pity because our fight in the second half was very good,” Conte said.

“But our first half, we kept losing our heads. After the red card we lost our heads, conceded two goals and then it’s very difficult to change the final result.”

Conte has struggled to conceal his frustrations over Chelsea’s failure to strengthen their squad, with Morata, Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and back-up goalkeeper Willy Caballero their only new signings.